Training at Altitude

Seven of the world's top training sites for distance runners and insights about altitude training

San Luis Potosi, Mexico

This charming central Mexican town still breaths the colonial atmosphere of the 17th century. The 6,200-foot elevation, mild climate and extraordinary La Loma sports complex make it an attractive place for world-class runners to train or rehab — including Americans Shalane Flanagan, Shannon Rowbury and Leo Manzano — but even non-competitive runners will enjoy this charming setting and the local Mexican culture. (Two-time New York City Marathon champion German Silva organizes the running program at the center.) Apart from excellent running opportunities, La Loma has large, well-equipped facilities for cardio-fitness, weight training, Pilates, spinning and swimming. (The indoor pool has been a home-away-from-home to Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps and many top college and national teams.) The surface of the local all-weather track is a bit harder than normal, but it is surrounded by a mile-long gravel trail. Due to the many cross-training possibilities La Loma is sometimes named “the best place to be when you’re injured.” In the charming Tangamanga Park 10 minutes from the center of town, there’s a perimeter trail ideal for 45- to 60-minute runs. While it helps to speak Spanish in town, the international language of running needs no translation here.

When? The temperatures stay comfortable throughout the year. Even in summer, it cools down in the evening and at night, which means sound sleeping is never a problem.

Who? San Luis Potosi was the training home of German Silva for years, but recently it’s been a training refuge for Americans Shalane Flanagan, Shanon Rowbury and Leo Manzano, as well as Moroccan marathoner Abderrahime Bouramdane and Moroccan-born American Khalid Khannouchi during his recent comeback attempt.

* There are fantastic network of runnable trails that climb to 7,200 feet just outside of the village of Bledos, about 40 minutes away by car.

* Drink only bottled water and avoid raw food, ice or fruit juices.

Flagstaff, Arizona

In this growing paradise for runners you shouldn’t be surprised when you bump into a fast marathoner in the supermarket. Situated at nearly 7,000 feet above sea level, this reasonably small city along historic Route 66 is overflowing with aspiring elite runners: it has mild weather, several good all-weather tracks, a great indoor track, well-equipped fitness centers and top physiotherapists. But really it’s the modest character, the beautiful scenery, the numerous trails and the altitude that count most to locals in the McMillan Elite program and frequent drop-in visitors like Ryan Hall, Magdalena Boulet and Wesley Korir. Though lacking the quaintness of Boulder and running history of Eugene, Flagstaff is surrounded by mountains and forests with a large roster of runnable dirt trails and rolling mountain roads. While his elite runners are often training on soft surfaces, coach Greg McMillan occasionally has marathoners Brett Gotcher, Nick Arciniaga and Stephanie Rothstein grind through 15-mile tempo runs on Lake Mary Road, a semi-remote rolling route southwest of town. There are also challenging technical mountain running routes nearby, including a section of the 800-mile Arizona Trail. In essence, Flagstaff is everything you need in a training base and not much more. Or considerably more, depending on your outlook.

When? April to September are the best months for training. While Flagstaff is known for bouts of extended cold weather in the winter, it’s high elevation precludes it from ever being too hot. It rains twice as much from July to September than it does from April through June but it’s still not enough to disrupt training.

Who? Coach Greg McMillian and his McMillan Elite team have been based in Flagstaff since 2007 (the current crew includes marathoners Brett Gotcher, Nick Arciniaga, Stephanie Rothstein and Emily Harrison) while other top local runners include Olympic trials marathon qualifiers Jeff Eggleston, Fasil Bizuneh and Mike Smith. Among Flagstaff’s regular drop-in visitors include marathoners Magdalena Lewy Boulet, Ryan Hall and Wesley Korir.

Font-Romeu, France

After a dazzling ride through the eastern Pyrenees, you arrive on a plateau village with several hotels, two tracks, dozens of dirt trails and the National Center for Altitude Training. This is Font-Romeu, a classical high-altitude training ground since the 1968 Summer Olympics. The altitude of 6,000 feet has attracted everyone from sumo wrestlers and gracious female figure skaters, but of late it’s been the part-time European training ground for some of the world’s top distance runners. Paula Radacliffe maintains a second home there, while elite Spanish trail runner Kilian Jornet and U.S. 10,000m record-holder Galen Rupp have all spent time there in recent years. Most of the rooms in the national training center are relatively small, but it’s in the midst of a huge renovation. For a reasonable price, though, you’ll get full accommodation with use of all sports facilities, provided you can show a membership card of a sports federation (such as a USATF card). Most of the trails are well-suited for consistent high-cadence running. Outside the training center you’ll find a rough and uneven terrain designated for pure mountain training. And finally, near 7,000 feet above sea level, you’ll find a specially laid, flatter trail that measures about 4K. Font-Romeu is a classic French mountain village, complete with Alpine architecture, elegant French and Italian restaurants, mountain-inspired outdoor gear stores and many savory bread and sausage shops. Accordingly, the people are friendly and accommodating with an appreciation for endurance sports, the mountains, a good meal and a nice glass of wine.

When? If you want to outrun snowy conditions, it’s best tot visit Font-Romeu between May and October.

Who? World-record marathoner Paula Radcliffe has made Font Romeu one of her permanent training bases for many years. Other frequent visitors include British middle-distance star Lisa Dobriesky, British marathoner Helen Decker, elite Spanish trail runner Kilian Jornet and New Zealand runner/triathlete Kris Gemmell. Switching things up from their usual European refuge in St. Moritz, Alberto Salazar took Galen Rupp and Mo Farah to Font Romeu last summer for a bout of altitude training during a break in the European track circuit.